Rocky III
by BearFrog
Summary: Rocky Pinnicle was the heavyweight champion of the world. He had money, friends, and was in love. It seemed as if nothing could go wrong. But then he lost his title, lost his girlfriend's love and his bravery. He lost his iron will. And he wants it back.


"Round 14! Apollo and Rocky are just plain amazing! They are punching at the same time and they are blocking the other's punches with their own! Sparks are flying! These two look like they've been in a war. Wow! Such skill, it's amazing. It boggles my mind to think about how strong they will be in their prime! That's the end of that round!"

"And now for Round 15, the Final Fight. Rocky throws a slow punch at Creed and misses. He's out of energy! Creed throws a sluggish punch at Pinnicle and...Pinnicle is down! Pinnicle is down. But so is Creed! The force of the punch knocked both of them to the ground! If neither gets up, Apollo will automatically win! They're grabbing the ropes. They are struggling but moving up slowly. Will one of them make it up in time? What?! Apollo just fell. He fell back down! And Rocky, he pushed up. He's standing! It has been ten seconds! Rocky Pinnicle wins! He is the new heavyweight champion of the world!"

Apollo got up slowly and walked towards Rocky. He held Rocky's arm up in the air and said "Good job, mountain. Good job." The ring was flooded with people. Rocky's family and friends were dancing around him with joy. He asked a reporter for a microphone so he could say something important.

"I'd just like to say one thing, to my girlfriend at home," Rocky said, looking at the camera and holding the belt above his head. "Yo Taarin! I did it!"

Rocky held the belt high above his head, for the world to see. The world saw. But the world has many people in it, one of them being a large African American from Chicago, Illinois. He had a Mohawk, and a beard, with thick sideburns and a thin goatee. His name: Clubber Lang. He had a very close seat to the fight, close enough for the sweat to fall on his brown jacket and his blue jeans, while his boots remained dry.

Clubber Lang watched as Rocky's friends hauled him into the ambulance. Rocky began coughing up some blood. It was Rocky's most intense fight he had ever been in. Rocky was much stronger than Clubber Lang, a 25 year old who had been training all his life to get the title. He knew after watching the fight that if he wanted to stand a chance against Pinnicle, he would have to train harder than ever.

Rocky Pinnicle threw another punch. That punch landed a knockout blow to Big Yank Ball's face, allowing Rocky to win his first title defense. P.J. sat in the audience next to Taarin and noticed something interesting about Rocky's opponent that no one else seemed to notice. When Rocky won the ring was once again flooded, but this time he was in good health. Bob and Rocky jumped with joy as Taarin pushed through to give Rocky a hug.

Clubber Lang was at the fight. He was watching every move Rocky Pinnicle made. He had been watching him ever since the day he saw the rematch of the millennium. However, he and Rocky seemed to be attached to each other in unusual ways. Clubber Lang traveled through Boston three times. The first time he went to challenge Spider Rico, as he was supposedly a good fighter yet he got beat by a little kid at a nightclub. He also heard about a reward for capturing an escaped tiger and brought it in so he could get new training equipment. The 3rd time was when he actually came to see Pinnicle on purpose.

Like P.J., Clubber also noticed something about Rocky's opponent. He paid no mind to that little bit. He didn't care who Pinnicle was fighting as long as he saw his fighting style. He had to memorize every bit of it if he wanted to stand even the slightest chance. Clubber ran out into the streets, wearing his blue Nike shirt, punching the air as he walked.

He ran alone, with not a soul beside him. He was always alone and was used to it. He ran straight through a puddle and got splashed with the filthy water, yet he kept going without stopping or even pausing to take a break. The street was slowly inclining, and he ran upward, faster than many cars.

Risin up,back on the street  
Did my time, took my chances  
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet  
Just a man and his will to survive

Rocky Pinnicle began advertising. He did ads and commercials for American Express, Listerine, and other products. Finally, he was getting some good deals from advertisers. He was getting quite a bit of money and spent almost all of it on charities. He knew what their lives were like, and wanted them to have an easier time than he did.

So many times, it happens too fast  
You trade your passion for glory  
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past  
You must fight just to keep them alive

Clubber always grew up close to boxing, as his father was a big fight promoter. His father trained him to become another mindless zombie and fight for him. But Clubber realized that he was being manipulated by this monster and left his family behind. He changed his name and began living a life of solitude, never wanting to be hurt again. However, fighting had become Clubber's life and he wanted to become champion. He wanted to fight on his own and defeat the best so he could finally feel whole. He fought his first fight under his new alias and won with a K.O. in the first round, punching only once. His opponent managed to look up into the eyes of his opponent before he passed out and saw fearsome eyes. Eyes that belonged to the animal known as the Tiger.

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger

Rocky not only donated to charities but was also big with telephons and other fund raising activities. He was starting to wear a suit or a white sweater wherever he went, except for Boxing matches. Yes. He won another title match. While he won another victory, the fearsome Clubber Lang watched him. He watched every talk show, every interview, and took note of every product. He noticed that Pinnicle wore the colors he always wore, Yellow and Black. Pinnicle had stolen his identity. He was in boxing longer! Those colors were his!

Face to face, out in the heat  
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry  
They stack the odds 'til we take to the street  
For the kill with the skill to survive

Clubber began following Rocky from a distance, to try and see what his weaknesses are. He started this after he overhead an interesting conversation between Rocky and his girlfriend. Clubber began following Rocky and everyone close to him. Clubber paid attention to every single detail, trying to see who Pinnicle cared for the most. 

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger

Rocky's tenth title match was up. Rocky danced around his large adversary gracefully and won with a K.O. in the fifth round. The crowd cheered with joy as Rocky bounced with joy and bowed to the crowd. His fighting style was becoming rhythmic, like a flow to a song. Clubber noticed this and smirked smugly. Clubber Lang went to fight in his sixth fight, but little did he know that he too was being followed. By a talking cat and a jester kid.

Risin' up, straight to the top  
Had the guts, got the glory  
Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop  
Just a man and his will to survive

"Why are we paying so much attention to this guy?" asked P.J.

"Because I said so, stupid!"

"I need a better reason."

"Because he's the #1 contender, moron!"

"We watched him before he was."

"Just shut up and come on!"

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger

While Rocky and Taarin kissed in a field of flowers, Clubber was fighting yet another match. This was his first match as "Number 1 Contender". After a brutal final punch to his enemy he looked right at Bob and P.J.

"I want Pinnicle! I want Pinnicle! You hear that tiny feline! I'm coming after him! No one can stop me! I'm gonna kill him! You tell him that punk! You tell it to him!"

**A Pinnicle-Psykloak Production**

**A BearFrog Fanfic**

**Rocky III**

**Rocky Pinnicle**

**Apollo Creed**

**John Psykloak**

**Kermit the Frog**

**Hulk Hogan**

**Taarin**

**Bob as Bob**

**And introducing Mr.T as Clubber Lang**

"I want a shot at the title. If Pinnicle's got the guts to meet me in the ring or anywhere else! My whole life has been directed to this title, and nothin' else. I live alone, and I train alone, and I'll win the title alone! Pinnicle can't duck me forever. He can run, but he can't hide!" Clubber Lang told the crowd of reporters as he walked with a white towel over his head. The screen on the television suddenly moves to a different scene. That of a newsroom, with a young and handsome anchorman saying the follow-up comments.

"Quite an interesting man. Rocky Pinnicle, however, doesn't seem to be worried about much these days. He's just defended his title for the tenth time and has even agreed to fight the world heavyweight wrestling champion, as sort of a charity benefit with all the proceeds going to a local youth foundation. After that, he's going to receive a special gift to given to him by the city of Boston and appear on The Muppet Show as a guest star. I have to give him credit, he keeps himself busy. He's a true sportsman. I guess the number one contender, Clubber Lang, will have to wait. But I am sure that when those two do fight, it'll be a great match."

The Radio Shack guy and John Psykloak watched the report on T.V. , and then returned to their conversation. John had come to Radio Shack for the fourth time that week to get more supplies for his newest invention.

"This thing you're making is sure gonna be interesting."

"This is not going to be just some 'thing'. This will be my greatest invention ever! A robot with REAL artificial intelligence!"

"Sure John, sure. Hey, give Rocky my best." The clerk said as he gave John his items. John began to head out of the store and back into the main section on the mall. He then turned around suddenly.

"You know, I've been coming here years and I, John, never get your best."

"Take it easy, Johnny."

John exited the store and walked toward the local arcade. He figured he'd play a quick round of Squirrel Chaser, his own arcade game, which no one else had ever bothered to play. He began to wonder why he never received any money from the game. He entered the arcade and soon found out.

He saw a crowd gathered around an arcade game, but what game. It can't be Squirrel Chaser, could it? No, Squirrel Chaser was in the corner next to the homeless guy. But he heard Bob's voice from the screen, so it had to be Squirrel Chaser. John looked at the game. It was Marvel vs Capcom 2: Special Arcade Edition. The enemy was Ryu and the character the player was...Rocky Pinnicle. And his cat Bob who did not help but kept yelling things like "C'mon, stupid!"

John began shaking with rage. With one throw, his electronic devices crashed into the screen and crashed the glass all over. People ran away in fear. John walked towards the machine and kicked it, causing part of it to open. Coins came out of it and John grabbed a bunch and headed toward his own arcade game. However, the police stopped him before he put a single quarter in.

Alone in the cell he sat. The black water dripping onto the black floor. It's not that they in themselves were black, but they were shrouded in darkness. The dripping. The constant, unrythmic dripping! How it was driving John mad! Insanity began to creep into the skilled Flash maker's mind. Slowly the pest entered his mind. And then the guard came to let him out. The guard also came with an accomplice. Rocky Pinnicle.

"You wanna hear 'I owe ya'? You I owe nothing." Said John as they entered the parking lot and walked towards Rocky's car.

"Naw, you don't owe me anything." Said Rocky in a rather melancholy voice.

"So, what do you want me to do? My sister ain't here?"

"She's at home."

"You know, we used to be tight before you came around. Now she always wants to hang out with you instead of me. Now she won't even come to get me out of jail."

"She doesn't know about this."

"You and her can go to hell."

"Hey, watch your mouth John."

"You wanna whack me? C'mon I don't sweat you! C'mon!"

"Come on John, why don't you screw your head on right."

"No, it isn't my head. You're freaking head is the one screwed on wrong!"

"Yeah, well what did I do?"

"You? Nothing! For yourself, sure! Buy a fancy house, get fancy cars, world class dining and fancy clothes. Your stupid cat has it better than me! What did you ever give old John, huh? Did you ever get me a job, or help me fund my research? No! Nothing! You gave P.J. stuff, you gave Taarin stuff, you gave Bob stuff but you never gave me anything except for a freaking watch!" yelled John as he held out his hand to show the watch that Rocky had gotten him after the first fight with Apollo. He gave one to all his friends, to remember the day. He took the watch off and threw it to the ground. Rocky reached for it but John kicked it.

"I've got feelings too, ya know!"

"Everybody's got em, John."

"The hell with everybody."

"No, maybe it's the hell with you."

"I don't want to listen to this crap."

"You make it sound like everybody owes you a living. Nobody owes anybody anything."

"You're wrong! Friends owe!"

"Friends don't owe! They do because they want to do."

"Shut up."

"John, you're like a brother to me. I'm gonna tell you something straight from the heart. You're not a loser. You are just a jealous, lazy, bum."

"Yeah? I'm gonna break your mouth!"

John threw a right at Rocky, which Rocky easily ducked away from. Rocky was in his boxing stance and had the feeling that he was in an actual match. But he was very careful not to actually hurt John. John threw a right to Rocky, which he blocked with his arms. Crack! The sheer force of John's blows were incredible. Rocky was about to block another punch, but decided it would be better just to dodge. Swish! John's blow flew right over Rocky's head.

Rocky knew it was time to counter. A left uppercut! And it missed. John then kicked Rocky in the gut, causing Pinnicle to fall backwards. After skidding on his feet to halt his movement, Rocky charged towards John with a Stevie Kick, which hit John and caused him to fall to the ground with a large thud. The two began huffing and wheezing, until John finally asked "Can I have a job?"

"All you had to do was ask."

The two walked towards the car, with their arms over each other's shoulder.

"You can be my sparring partner. You hit pretty good."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. Superb."

"Absolutely superb. Just look at this excited crowd." Said one of the announcers.

The sports arena was flooded with many people, anxious to see two men slowly beat one another until one of them stayed down for ten seconds. Signs were held in the air, some supporting one boxer and some supporting the other.

"Now this should be quite an interesting match up, don't you think Ron?" said the same announcer.

"I agree it will be interesting. Middleweight Champion Steve Fox has entered the heavyweight division and will be facing off against Clubber Lang, the number one contender." The other announcer replied.

"Both of them are skilled fighters. Fox did very well in The King of The Iron Fist Tournament 4, didn't he?â"

"Yes he did very good, but he did not win. Kazuya Mishima won. Whatever happened to that guy, anyway?"

"I don't know. Ah! Here comes the boxers now! There comes Clubber Lang, getting boos from the crowd! And it looks like everybody loves Steve! Look at them, throwing roses! Ha! Just when you thought you've seen everything..."

The round started. Steve's slick hair shined brightly in the heavy lights. Clubber however was too busy pounding on Steve's head to notice. Bam! Bam! Bam! Fox was receiving heavy blows from Clubber. Steve then ducked back and landed a power punch to Clubber's face. He grinned as Clubber stopped moving. Steve stood there with his fist in Clubber's face and realized something was wrong. Clubber didn't move at all.

Clubber turned his head and revealed no signs of damage. Steve jumped back in terror and by that point the round was over. Both fighters headed to the corners. Clubber had no team to back him up, so he changed his mouthpiece, gave himself water and spat in bucket all by himself.

Round 2 then began. Clubber unleashed one furious punch to Steve's gut and his foe fell to the ground and lost the fight. Clubber won the match and ran off before any more pests could interview him. Clubber had rented a tuxedo and needed to be at an important even the next night.

Clubber Lang looked quite strange in a tuxedo. A large African American man with a Mohawk, Native American earrings and a tux? It did not look normal. Yet he sat down in the stands just like everyone else there and no one judged him. Clubber looked up above the ring and saw a large banner labeled "Rocky Pinnicle vs Hulk Hogan".

The only people in the ring were John, Cat, Bob and Rocky. Rocky seemed quite excited, while Bob seemed quite nervous. Cat and John seemed quite indifferent.

"What the heck goes on inside your head? Anything normal function?"

"Yeah a few things function normally."

"I don't think so, cuz to fight a creature like this, you gotta have about one hundred pounds worth of brain damage. I've seen wrestlers that are bigger than dinosaurs! Ever fight a dinosaur, Rocky?"

"No."

"They can cause A LOT of damage!"

The conversation suddenly ended when the lights dimmed and Hogan's music played. Hogan had seemingly gone back to his old days, with the old music, the old outfit and the old attitude. He was not Hollywood Hulk Hogan, but just plain Hulk Hogan.

"Why are they carrying him?" asked John.

"He's walking." Replied Cat.

A gigantic, muscular man walked slowly down the steps toward the arena. He had blonde hair which was bottom of neck length, a mustache, and a yellow cape. Slowly he walked down, his yellow boots and yellow bottom glimmering in the light, almost as much as his heavily oiled skin.

"I'm coming for you Pinnicle!" said Hulk Hogan as he was given cheers from the crowd. He pointed at Rocky with his large index finger as he said his comment.

"Let's call the whole thing off." Said Bob.

"Come on, Bob. It's for charity." Replied Rocky.

"You're nuts! Nobody does this much for charity!"

"Bob Hope would."

"...That's true."

The wrestler slowly approached, and his large size became much clearer to the ones standing in the ring.

"Better call Bob Hope." John said.

"Boy he is a monster." Said one of the announcers. "How much would you take to get in the ring with him?"

"Start with Fort Knox." Replied the other announcer.

While the fighters were given their intros, they both took off their belts and handed them to their teammates. After that they both headed towards the center of the ring where the ref gave the rules. Hogan towered over Pinnicle as the ref spoke.

"Alright you guys, you know this is for fun. So take it easy and give em a good show." Said the old irish man.

"Hey listen," Rocky said to the giant standing in front of him. "After the match, how about we get a Polaroid together?"

Hogan stared at Rocky grimly for a moment, before the wrestler shoved him against the ropes. "I'm gonna rip you in half!"

Rocky walked back to his corner as Hogan went to his and said to Bob "Seems like lately everybody wants to beat me up." Rocky began to pray and in the middle of his prayer the bell rang and Hogan charged toward Rocky and tried doing and overhead smash, but Rocky got out of the way.

"You move pretty fast for a big guy. Let's give them a good show, okay? I'll chase you for a bit and you chase me. Okay?" Rocky asked. He threw a weak punch to Hogan's gut. "That hurt? This one?" Rocky asked as he dealt fake blows. Hogan, however, wasn't playing and grabbed Pinnicle's head and slammed it to the ground.

"What are you gonna do, because Hulkamania is running wild on you!"

"Run for your life!" cried Bob.

Hogan began stomping on Rocky. Another stomp. Another stomp. "It's all fake, right meatball? ALL FAKE!" yelled Hogan as he gave another devastating blow to Rocky's back.He then picked up Rocky by the hair and then punched the boxer's head back into the ground. He then grabbed Rocky and threw him into a corner. Hulk then charged toward Rocky and gave him a knee blow to the gut. Rocky coughed up some blood at this attack. Hogan had a very good understanding of Ki, and Rocky could tell. He then considered his theories about Macho Man having super powers might actually be true.

After exiting that train of thought, Rocky remembered that he was here to fight. Hogan grabbed Pinnicle and threw him into the center of the ring. Then he grabbed his adversary and rolled him over his shoulders and Rocky then faced the floor as opposed to the ceiling. "If I can't break your spirit, I can sure break your back!" yelled Hogan as he shoved Rocky's body onto his knee as he knelt.

Macho Man, Hogan's close friend and partner watched the fight closely. He sat in the stands and watched every movement. But so did another pair of eyes. Clubber Lang watched from the crowd, with very intense eyes. How pathetic Pinnicle was doing against Hogan. Clubber was easily much stronger than Hogan, and wanted to see if the famous Pinnicle could beat just one wrestler. Clubber's eyes shifted when he saw Hulk Hogan head towards the ropes and charge to the center where Rocky lay. He jumped up in the air and his gigantic leg landed on Rocky' face.

Hogan raised Rocky high above his head and then fell backwards, slamming both of them to the ground. Hogan then got up and elbowed the fallen boxer. He then grabbed Rocky and once again raised him over his head.

"You want this punching bag? Then take him!"yelled Hulk Hogan as he threw Rocky out of the ring, far away from his teammates and his girlfriend watching in the stands. He landed right next to none other than Clubber Lang. The crowd began to surround Rocky. While that happened people were throwing stuff at Hogan who then started attacking spectators.

John quickly pressed a button on his watch to call in his robot, Boot, from his home to come in ASAP and help Rocky. With amazing speed, Boot headed towards the arena. While Boot did that, Rocky yelled for someone to cut his gloves off. Clubber Lang grabbed the gloves right off of rocky and then said "Go get em."

"Thanks."

Rocky tried to think of a way to get through the crowd without flying and revealing he had Ki control. Suddenly Boot arrived from behind Rocky.

"Boot! I need your help! Carry me into the ring!"

Boot nodded and made some sounds. The robot lifted Rocky above it's head and hovered into the ring. Rocky then called out to Hogan and told him to come back into the ring and finish the fight. Hulk Hogan accepted the offer and pushed through the crowd to get back into the ring.

"Alright punk, you're mine!" yelled the colossal monster as he threw a punch, which Rocky ducked to avoid and then countered with a left uppercut. Then a right to the gut. But then Hogan lifted Rocky high into the air by his neck. His fist began cutting Rocky's oxygen supply away from him.

"Help..." he gasped. Help came. Up came Bob with a metal chair, who smacked Hogan with it. The chair broke in half after impact and Hogan stumbled backwards. Rocky fell to the ground with a large thud. Then Rocky jumped over Hulk and got him in a strangle-hold. Hulk slowly fell the ground, but stopped suddenly and managed to grab Rocky's arms and throw him off his back and against the upper left corner.

As Rocky flew towards the corner he positioned himself. He right foot landed on the corner and he pushed himself forward to perform his famous "Stevie Kick". The move was so fast that Hogan didn't see it coming. A kick to the gut. Hogan fell to the ground and Rocky landed on Hulk's head. He quickly got off and let the ref count.

"Is he allowed to kick?" asked an announcer.

"I don't see why not. After all, this is a combination of two different sports so he should be allowed to do whatever his opponent is allowed to do. And 10! It's been ten seconds! Rocky Pinnicle wins!"

The main announcer entered the ring. "Rocky Pinnicle has won the tenth annual 'Wrestler vs Boxer' exhibition match. See you all next year!" and then he muttered to himself "Thank God."

Hogan walked towards Rocky and extended his hand as he said "Good match."

"Hey, why'd you get so crazy on me?" asked Rocky.

"That's the name of the game." Hulk Hogan said as he bulged his eyes.

"Well, listen: While you're still calm, can we get that Polaroid together?"

Hogan rubbed his chin. He then removed his hand and said "Yeah, sure."

Boot took the picture of Rocky, Taarin and Hulk Hogan. Their smiles grew before the photo was taken when Rocky said "Ya know, sometimes charity really hurts."

Clubber exited the arena before anyone else did. He had no car, and simply walked out into the cold night. Ordinarily someone would try to mug a person in a tuxedo, but Clubber Lang was too intimidating for anyone to even think about that. Clubber walked to his cheap hotel room and fell asleep right in his tuxedo. He was quite tired. The next morning he woke up bright and early. He dressed in his brown jacket and blue jeans. He put on his boots and headed out the door.

He then ran through the streets, faster than the cars. Through the streets he sped, punching the air as he walked. People would normally be amazed by such speed. However, nobody saw Clubber's speedy gift. They were all in front of the white steps which Rocky so famously ran up. A band rendition of Rocky's theme song was being played by the marching band. Clubber went to the back of the crowd and awaited the big event. He did not like being at the front of the crowd.

At the top of the steps, Clubber could see Pinnicle, his friends, Taarin and the mayor of Boston. "What ever happened to quite, tender moments?" Cat asked Taarin, who giggled after hearing the comment. A few seconds later the music ended and the mayor walked up to the podium. Behind him there was something covered by a gigantic cloth. The mayor began to speak after the cheers from the crowd died down.

"Thank you, thank you all. Every once and a while a person comes along. A person who beats the odds. A person who defies logic itself. On behalf of the city of the city of Boston, as a gift from those who have been touched by your many accomplishments, and your participation in our cities many charity functions, we present you with this statue! In honor of the unbeatable spirit of man!" yelled the mayor as he threw his hand in the air. The cloth was grabbed from the statue and in pure bronze, Rocky Pinnicle stood in his boxing clothing with his arms raised above his head.

Rocky and his friends looked at the statue with awe and amazement, while Clubber Lang looked at it without emotion. Without love, without hate, without awe. As emotionless as a stone.

Rocky stepped up to the podium to give a speech. His mouth was dry. He just had a statue donated to him. He did not know that he was getting a statue and the shock of it was gigantic. He started to mumble random words into the microphone before he finally began to speak clearly.

"Wow...What do you say to something like this? Umm thanks."

The crowd unleashed a gigantic fury of cheer. People clapping, yelling excitedly and happily. Clubber Lang, however, stood motionless.

"It's been 3 years since I beat Apollo, and since then this city has really taken me in, ya know? I'd like to thank all of you for that. And since I'm here, I guess this as good a time as any to say this: I'm retiring. I talked it over with my girlfriend, and my cat and we decided that it is time for me to live a normal life."

The crowd was shocked by this. People were protesting and pleading for Rocky not to do it. Clubber Lang got quite angry by this statement. Rocky Pinnicle was such a coward! Ducking out like that. Clubber pushed through the crowd forcefully until he got to the front.

"Getting out while you can!" yelled Clubber Lang as he pointed his index finger at Rocky. He did not recognize Clubber and simply thought of him as another face in the crowd. However his friends knew better than that. They all knew who Clubber Lang was. Except for Taarin, who only kept up with Rocky's boxing.

"I ain't going nowhere! Why don't you tell all these nice folks why you been duckin' me! Politics, man! This country wants to keep me down! Keep everybody weak! They don't want a man like me to have the title because I'm not a little puppy like that fool up there!"

"He's got a point," Maci said to himself.

"You've got a big mouth." Rocky said angrily as he moved forward.

"Why don't you come over here and shut it!"

"Anytime pal!"

Rocky was pulled back by John who said "This guy is crazy, don't listen to him."

"This foo' is weak! He's a bum! He's been fighting other bums! Taking the easy matches! I am ranked Number 1! Number 1! That means I'm the best! I'll fight this bum anyplace, anytime, for free! But you folks won't get to see that happen because this little punk won't fight me. He won't fight no real man."

"You're a disgrace to the sport!" yelled John.

"Shut up, geek! I want my shot at the title! Give me the same shot Apollo gave you!"

"I don't care what your rank is, you don't get no shot!" yelled Bob.

Rocky turned to Bob and protested. "I really wanna fight this guy."

"Fine, but you do it without me!" yelled Bob as she left.

Clubber turned to Taarin. "Hey, why don't you dump that zero and go for the real hero?" he asked her softly.

"You want it? YOU GOT IT!" yelled Rocky as he rushed forward angrily. The crowd had to keep the two of them away from one another. The scramble was laid before the stone boxer's eyes as he saw a gigantic rivalry form. The lifeless eyes stared upon the crowd.

Soon another pair of eyes headed to Rocky Pinnicle's fancy house, which was on the outskirts of Boston and quite far from Neptune Circle. He still owned his old house, but only used it when he visited his friends. The large white mansion had nice view of Boston, but Rocky wasn't caring about the view at the moment. He quickly got out of the limo and ran right past the pool into the house. He ran up the stairs and entered Bob's room swiftly.

"Why'd you leave? Why'd you walk away like that? We've got one more fight!"

"No, no. Not we, YOU."

"Why won't you help me?" asked Rocky.

"Because you can't win, Rock! This guy'll kill ya to death inside three rounds! He'll knock you into tomorrow, Rock."

Rocky looked up at the poster above Bob's head, showing the first fight Apollo had with him. "You're crazy." Rocky told his cat.

"That guy is a wrecking machine! And he's hungry! You haven't been hungry since you won that belt from Apollo."

"What are you talking about? I've had ten title defenses!"

"They was handpicked!"

Rocky was silent. He slowly seated himself on the bed, holding back tears. He did not want to show any weakness to his own cat, which thought that he was a weakling. He looked at Bob desperately and asked "It's all been a lie?"

"No, no, no. They was all great fighters but they ain't killers like this guy!"

"You've been carrying me. That's supposed to be my job."

"Look, I haven't been carrying you. I've only been protecting you. It's my job to make sure that your healthy and have the title.?

"You've been carrying me...Why?"

"Because...Because that fight against Apollo should've killed you. But it didn't."

"You think I've got nothing left..."

"Generals retire, Presidents retire, Superheroes retire..."

"I can't retire. Not after knowing all this. Train me, please. I'll live in the gym."

"We don't need this."

"Bob, I do."

"Rocky, you can return to boxing when you are older."

"And Clubber Lang will be retired by then. Please Bob, train me one last time."

"Okay, stupid. It's your head."

"Heavyweight Champion Trains Here Daily". The banner was hung over the building so that all of Boston could see it. The contrast of yellow and black was pleasing to the eyes, as were Rocky's fights. The building was quite beautiful on the outside, but on the inside it was amazing.

The huge room was full of people. Some were buying things. Some were using the same equipment that Rocky uses. But most bought things and watched Rocky Pinnicle train. The robes, the buttons, the balloons, the flashing neon sign, the paintings and the bubbles floating around plus the music in the background gave a huge vibe to the place.

Clubber Lang trained alone in his quiet gym. However his soul was not quiet. It was raging. He trained with all his might and put every last drop of sweat and every drop of blood into training. He started off his training by punching his punching bag ferociously. BAM! BAM! BAM! The bag was ripped open and the sand fell to the floor.

"You can't stand toe-to-toe with this guy. He'll hit you so hard you'll wind up on Mars or something." Said Bob and Rocky hit the speed-bag. His punches were amazingly quick and the crowd was impressed. Suddenly a large mustached man came to the front with a camera and asked Rocky for a quick photo.

"Yeah, sure." Rocky said as he posed. Bob scolded him and Rocky replied "They love it, Bob."

"Who cares if they love it?! Why'd you rent this joint, anyway? Let's go back to the old meat factory and train there. Let's get some sweat and blood into this! Besides, they give us free food."

"Will you relax and enjoy this a little? Come on Bob. Let's go out in style."

"Just go out in one piece."

Clubber Lang pulled himself up for yet another sit up. Each sit up involved 500 elbow jabs in the air. He quickly did his sit up and endured past his pain. He wasn't about to quit training yet. He did sit ups like that for two hours straight.

Rocky was on the exercise bike and moving quite quickly. Taarin watched him from a distance and smiled as she watched her boyfriend train. Suddenly, a young blonde woman approached Rocky. "Hey, Can I have a kiss?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure." He said as he stopped the bike. She kissed him gently on the cheek and then moved when Bob started yelling. Taarin had turned he head away by that time.

"Is that the way you train for a Cluibber? He ain't gonna kiss ya, he gonna kill ya!" yelled Bob as she jumped on the front of the bike. Rocky then kissed Bob on the cheek.

"ARRRGH! ARRRGH! ARRRGH!" cried Clubber as he did another pull-up. The pain was making him numb, but he didn't stop. He believed in the age old saying "No pain, no gain."

The piano was special. It played by itself as long as you programmed it first. John was happy too and Rocky began jumping rope to the rhythm of the song. The band played along with it and bubbles flew out everywhere. Bob popped many bubbles as they began to surround her.

Clubber Lang threw some punches up in the air as he faced the mirror. He punched until he began sweating like a murderer in church. When he finally stopped his punches, the mirror broke. The change in wind was too much for it. CRACK! The mirror shattered and fell to the ground as Clubber stared at his many reflections.

"FASTER, ROCKY! RUN FASTER!" yelled Bob from the seat of the bike. She was sitting on the bike with Clarence, who was the heaviest of Rocky's friends. Rocky had two ropes attatched to him so he would carry the bike as he ran. Now his training was really starting to show off. His new speed was incredible. It was a beautiful morning, with the sun shining on the large pond as Rocky ran on the park sidewalk. He then stopped when he got to the studio.

"See you later, fat kid." Said Rocky as Clarence headed home. Rocky smiled and put on his sunglasses. They looked nice with his black satin robe and black belt. His blue shoes matched his eyes. Bob entered the pokeball before they went into the studio to film an episode of "The Muppet Show".

Rocky was late, so he didn't get to meet the cast. He was pretty much thrown in. He had memorized his lines and the show went quite well. However the makeup totally changed his face. And his hair for some reason. But the after show wasn't that pretty. As Rocky headed towards the bike to continue training, he bumped into the star of the muppets, Kermit. When they collided, Kermit's wallet fell to the ground.

"Oh sorry about that Mr. Frog, you seem to have dropped your wallet." Said Rocky as he picked up the wallet.

"Oh, thank you very much. He-he." Replied Kermit.

"Hey, You think I could get an autograph? My girlfriend's a big fan-" said Rocky as he looked at the photo in Kermit's wallet, which depicted a picture of Taarin kissing Kermit on the cheek. "Wait a sec, that looks like my girlfriend! GRRRR! You freak!" yelled Rocky as he threw the wallet in Kermit's face. "That's my girlfriend you jerk!"

"I challenge you to Kermit Kombat."

Thus the battle began. Kermit took out his pokedex and said "I better check this creature out."

The red data box labeled the enemy as Rocky, Human Type: 69. "Rocky. This large mammal has thick blue eyes and is considered friendly. Although his origin is a mystery it is known that he is friendly until provoked." Said the mechanical device.

"Yo Mama is so old...umm...She's older than you!" yelled Kermit. Rocky simply stood in awe at the pathetic insult. Kermit then charged towards Rocky and kicked his opponent in the genitals. However, Rocky was not phased. Kermit ran backwards and asked "Ummm...why didn't that hurt?"

"Let's see here..." said Rocky as he turned and grabbed something out of his pants. "Cup! Never leave home without it. Let's see here...there we go!" said rocky as he put it back on.

"Time to go a little old-school and use the magic finger." Said Kermit. The dotted line appeared after his finger until the item was formed. A gun. "Time to die, Jerk." The three bullets zoomed through the air towards Rocky. He ducked to avoid one and grabbed one with his teeth. He jumped over the other bullet and grabbed the gun out of Kermit's hand.

"Gimme that punk!" yelled Rocky as he discarded the weapon. After doing so, Kermit urinated right onto the parking lot which made Rocky jump back and retort "Ah gross, you're peeing yourself. Ugh."

"I didn't want to have to do this but you forced me..." said Kermit as he took out his wallet. He threw money at Rocky. "Money! Lots of money! Green like me! Take it!"

"I don't want your money, punk." Kermit's eyes widened after hearing the comment.

Suddenly the sky turned dark and the words "Finish Him" appeared in the air. A booming voice declared the event. Kermit's tongue stretched out of his mouth and headed towards Rocky's head in hopes of ripping it off. However, all he swallowed was Rocky's sunglasses.

"Aw man. I missed you face-"

"Those were ten dollar glasses, ahole."

"Rocky's eyes burned with fury. A blue aura surrounded him as he became angry. Many Kermit heads seem to float around him "Hahahaha. I stole your girlfriend and I ate your glasses. Hahahaha. I ate your glasses and I stole your girlfriend. How's it feel?"

Rocky screamed like the DBZ cast has done many times. His aura spread out just like on the show. "Oh yeah, like I can't do that." Said Kermit. "Yaheh!" yelled Kermit as he wiggled madly.

"I better see how strong this frog is." Said Rocky as he took out his pokedex. Kermit was labeled as "Kermit, Frog Type: 00."

"Kermit. Special attack: rage. This attack is weak and ironically cannot hurt a fly. There is no reason to be cautious around him." Said the pokedex. Kermit charged towards Rocky, who flicked his hair back and into Kermit's eyes. He began walking blindly onto train tracks which ironically had a train coming. The train hit the frog and sent his back flying to the fight scene. A large cracking sound was heard from his back but he simply got up. Kermit charged again.

Rocky kicked Kermit, who then fell to the ground. Rocky then kicked the frog further and then walked away. He came back with a table. He set it up and threw Kermit in the air. While Kermit floated high, Rocky teleported on top of a pole. Kermit landed on the table and Rocky jumped onto Kermit head first. Another cracking sound was made and the table broke in half. Rocky smiled and slowly walked away, only to hear Kermit's yell. He turned to see Kermit kick away the two halves of the table.

Rocky was getting annoyed. He launched his Stevie Kick on Kermit, who flew backwards. "No one gets up from my Stevie Kick!" yelled Rocky. He was wrong. Kermit got up and unleashed his battle cry as Rocky gasped. Rocky then shook his head and took out his pokeball. "Pokeball, go!" The ball bounced off Kermit's face and moved into the ground inbetween the two fighters.

The red and white orb hit the ground and out of it came Bob, Rocky's talking cat. The cat jumped and yelled "BOB!" and then landed on Rocky's shoulder.

"Bob, attack!"

"Okay!" yelled Bob as she jumped towards Kermit.

Bob scratched her opponent. "Enemy Kermit is confused...isn't he always?" She bit Kermit. "Kermit's ego was disabled." She let loose a thunder shock on the frog. "Kermit is shocked that he's getting his butt kicked by a talking cartoon cat named Bob!" Bob let loose her fleas.

"For once, fleas eat Kermit!" The frog was greatly wounded from the attack, but instantly healed. "What the...?! Kermit recovered?!"

"I've tried everything on this frickin' frog, but nothing works. It's time to bring out to big guns." Rocky thought to himself. He prepared his most powerful move, the Kamehameha. The blue orb began to form in his hand. He then unleashed his attack on Kermit. The frog's eyes widened as the attack came closer.

The blast hit Kermit and flew through the air. Kermit's body held on to the attack until it hit a building and blood blasted out of Kermit's back. "Oh crap..." he said as the attack caused him to explode.

Rocky slowly walked away form the scene and from the sky they fell. His sunglasses. They landed right where they were supposed to. Rocky walked away from the fight smiling. But when he got home, he did not smile. He realized that Taarin, his true love, had been unfaithful. He felt awful and wanted to curl up and die. The fight with Kermit only delayed his promising depression.

Unknown to Rocky, Clubber had been paying close attention to Rocky's training and witnessed the fight between Kermit and Rocky. Clubber was angry that Pinnicle could only produce that much energy. He wanted a real fight, so he could prove that he truly was the best.

The next night was fight night. The locker-room would normally be quiet, had it not been for the reporters. Rocky tried to be cheerful but every time he turned to face Taarin his stomach wrenched. Someone noticed and asked if something was wrong, but Rocky denied such and kissed Taarin on the cheek lightly. Clubber managed to see this as he headed into his locker-room and assumed that the fight with the frog would no effect on the fight. How wrong he was.

"That makeup still won't come off?" asked Bob.

"Nope..." said Rocky quietly.

"Look, Rocky. I just want to say one thing: I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Bob."

The reporters were quite loud but the memorable moment had passed and both felt the effects. However every time Rocky thought of anything it would remind him of Taarin. Bob was bought at her pet store. John was Cat's sister who worked with Taarin. His name, Rocky Pinnicle, when translated into Irish Gaelic would become her first name. He shuddered at the thought.

"Rocky, is this your last fight?"

"Yes, last for sure."

"What will you do when it's all over?"

"I dunno. Maybe join the circus, huh Bob?"

"Yeah," Bob said, "Do something fun."

"Will you return to boxing someday?"

"Perhaps, but I think I'll become an artist."

Rocky's interviews went quite well. His room wasn't too crowded and it had a good vibe. Clubber Lang was surrounded by a huge swarm of reporters all asking him many things.

"Do you think you're as fast as Pinnicle!"

"I ain't doing no talking! I'll do my talkin' in the ring!"

"Clubber, how long do you think this fight will last?"

"Leave me alone! I wanna be left alone!"

â"Dance a little! Take off your robe!"

"Ya'll parasites and leeches. Get out of here!"

They ignored him and kept on taking their photos and asking questions. Getting sick of this, Clubber moved forwards and threw one of the news cameras to the ground loudly, which then broke into a million pieces.

"The crowd is chanting Pinnicle's name as they await Rocky Pinnicle's last and possibly most difficult fight of his colorful boxing career. This will be his eleventh title defense and will be facing off against the vicious Clubber Lang." Said one announcer. He turned to his left. In-between his co-host and him was Apollo Creed, a special guest speaker at the fight. "Mr. Creed, what is your take on this fight?"

"Well, strength goes to the challenger but experience and the world's hardest head goes to Pinnicle."

"You think Pinnicle is that strong?"

"Why do you think I'm sitting here with you?"

After the crowd left, Clubber sat alone in his locker room, anxiously awaiting the moment when he would see Rocky Pinnicle laying on the ground in intense pain and the belt being handed to the new champion. He smirked at the thought.

"Rocky, you gotta remember not to stand toe-to-toe with this guy. The punk has never been fifteen rounds before. Wear him down." Bob told Rocky as they headed towards the ring, greeted by cheers from the crowd. Clubber Lang receive boos but preferred them. It made him want to fight harder.

"Apollo Creed, the former champion is coming in from ringside. He looks like five million dollars."

Apollo Creeed went in the ring and attempted to shake Clubber's hand, who smacked it away. "Don't touch me foo'! I don't need no hasbin messin' up my color!"

Apollo went to Rocky, who was staring at Taarin in the stands and said "Do everybody a favor and drop this chump, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." said Rocky as he went to meet Clubber and the ref in the center of the ring.

"You know the rules. When I tell you to break, go to your corner. Understand?" said the ref.

"Dead meat." Said Clubber as he looked into Rocky's emotionless eyes. He hit Rocky's gloves hard and went to his corner, thinking he had intimidated Pinnicle. The look in his eyes...

"You and Clubber exchanged words up there. Any comment?" asked one commentator.

"I have no comment." replied Apollo.

"I'm gonna be the new champion!"

"Taarin..." 

The introductions were given, "And in blue shorts with white trim, the number one contender...Clubber Lang!"

And then with the bell ringing, the fight began. Rocky wanted to take out Clubber quickly so he quickly moved in on his enemy. A left to the head. Another left! Left! Left! Left! His Southpaw training was very good and he could fight southpaw or normal easily. However, switching was quite difficult.

"Now he has switched to gut blows! Pinnicle seems to be determined to destroy the bigger challenger."

Clubber then suddenly countered with a right to the head. Another right. Another right. Then Rocky came back with a left to the gut. Then a left to the head. Then he began doing 1-2 combos to Clubber Lang's gut. The crowd chanted his name eagerly.

Rocky was getting Lang into a corner. But suddenly, he countered with a hard right. Then a left. Then a right. He began beating on Rocky.

"ARRRGH!" Another furious punch was given to Pinnicle. For the rest of the round, Clubber handed Rocky's butt to him. The skill of Clubber, or determination, was a amazing. DING! DING! Rocky stumbled and almost fell. Rocky was carried to his corner by Cat.

"He's too strong..." panted Rocky breathing heavily, blood dripping from his forehead. His face was becoming deformed, and you couldn't even tell it was Rocky because of the damage and the makeup. "I can't get him off... I can't get him off."

"I'm gonna beat you, paper champion!" yelled Clubber from his corner.

DING! DING! Clubber moved in on Rocky quickly and began destroying him. Each blow felt a bomb, a bomb in Rocky's heart. He wasn't focused on the fight, but on Taarin. How could she have done that to him? He thought those thoughts as he lay on the ground for ten seconds, and allowing a new king to be hailed. Clubber jumped with joy as he faced boos and held the belt over his head saying "I'm the best! I'm number one! I'm the champion!"

"We gotta get Rocky to a hospital, fast!" yelled Cat as the ambulance carried Rocky away.

"Okay, we'll take you to the best plastic surgeon in town." Yelled Cat.

"No...don't...take...me...there...take...me...some...place...quiet..."

"Fine with me. Get outta here!" yelled the anarchist known as Maci as he pushed through the crowd and raced Rocky toward a cheap plastic surgeon. They entered the dark room quickly and were immediately put in the operating room.

"The makeup has fused with you're skin, Mr. Pinnicle. It would be a good idea to just rebuild that face."

"No! I want my old face back. I want to forget about the bad times I had with the one I have now." Screeched Rocky.

"Very well." Said the old doctor as he began his work.

Many hours later, Cat was invited into the room to see the results. "Let's see how we did." Said the doctor as he began unraveling Rocky's face. Rocky was getting impatient and ripped them off himself. "Mirror."

"Mr. Pinnicle, I tried my best."

"Mirror."

"Please sir let me-"

"MIRROR!"

The old doctor handed Rocky a hand mirror. Rocky stared at his new face intently. He then began to laugh. He began to laugh hysterically. He threw the mirror to the ground and walked up the stairs into the streets, laughing maniacally.

"Rocky! Lemme see your face!" yelled Cat. Rocky turned around. It looked just like it did before the show.

"It looks fine! Why were you laughing insanely?"

"I liked that movie."

"So Rocky, you wanna get something to eat or maybe visit Taarin or som-"

"I wanna be alone if that's okay." Said Rocky quietly.

"Sure, bud. Sure."

Rocky walked in the darkness quietly. No one seemed to be on the streets that night. It was quite peaceful. Rocky did not know where he was walking until he got there. He arrived facing the gargantuan statue of him. He looked at the statue angrily and threw a nearby stone at the head, whose impact made no dent on the powerful object.

Rocky sold his mansion and everything in it and moved back into his old house. The money from the sold items was given to charity. It felt good to be there again. He was getting tired of the rich life anyway. He just wanted to go back to the way it was when he was happy. Still all the pictures of Taarin flooded his room. He could not forget no matter how hard he tried.

You'd think it would be Clubber Lang that he'd see everywhere he went, but he saw Kermit. The evil frog laughing in his face. Rocky would become motionless, angry or scared whenever he saw something reminding him of the most powerful Muppet.

Kermit came back for revenge. He had been revived stronger, faster and better than he was before. The battle was fierce but in the end, Rocky won and reunited with Taarin. He was at peace with himself. But after that battle his other rival kept appearing. Clubber Lang was winning many title defenses and appearing in Rocky's nightmares. Clubber Lang took over where Kermit had left off.

It had been one month since the defeat of Kermit when Apollo Creed entered Rocky's room. Rocky was busy working on one of his many Flash projects when he entered.

"GAH! This stupid action script isn't working!" yelled Rocky as he set down his laptop and hit his speed-bag lightly.

"Not like that. You have to step into it."

"Apollo?" asked Rocky as he turned.

"What are you doing here?"

"Business..."

"You know if the papers knew we were talking like this they'd think we were crazy."

"So what else is new? Look, Mountain: you fought that fight without any strength. You lost because he was at full power and you were not. You should have a rematch against him with no handicap given to him!"

"That part of my life is over, Apollo."

"Look, man...I know about the frog and what you went through. But that is over and done with. You need to get back into the ring!

"Why do you want to train me? Why do you want to help me?"

"To be honest I don't think you can pull it off without me. I'm the best person to teach you how to fight differently."

"What is the real reason?"

"Listen to that sound. Silence. It's too quiet when you retire. We're too young to retire! And this fight could be big with the right touch. It could be bigger than ours! Heaven knows I don't mind being involved with large numbers. You've lost the will to fight but I can help you get it back. You've lost that Eye of the Tiger. When we fought you had it and I, I trained hard, but I didn't have that look. I almost did...I was on the brink, but I didn't have it. But together, we can both get it back. The Eye of the Tiger, man...The Eye of the Tiger."

"Clubber, do you accept Rocky's challenge?" asked the anchorman as he interviewed the current champion.

"I do accept his challenge, because last time he was no challenge! The last fight I was at my best and he was at his worst! I want a fair and even fight so I can truly become the champion!" said Clubber. Apollo, Rocky, Bob, John, Cat and Taarin sat down watching the news on T.V. and witnessed the interview.

"I can't wait to see this bum fall." Said Apollo.

"What do you think about him being trained by Apollo Creed?"

"Apollo who? You mean Apollo Creed, that washed up hasbin?"

"Keep talkin pal..." said Apollo as he listened to the insults on T.V. 

"Hard words from a hard man. The odds are stacked against Pinnicle by 10 to 1. It seems very unlikely he won't regain his title. He was good but his time has passed. I wish him luck."

"Don't listen to it, Rocky." Taarin said softly.

"No, DO listen to it Rocky. After this is all over a lot of people are going to owe you an engraved apology. And you're going to owe me a big favor. When it's over."

"Here's your training drink, Rocky." Said Bob as she handed him a glass of Egg yolk.

"Excuse me, but I am training him this time." Said Apollo.

"Oh really? Well I think we could just go to Macho Man and I'm sure he'd train you better than this moron."

"Bob! Be nice! Bob, I need to learn a new style and that is why I'm training under Apollo."

"You know a bunch of styles!"

"Yes but one more can't hurt."

"I know many styles Rock, and I'll teach them to you." said Apollo. "I'll also teach you how to combine all of them into one fighting style, that which is uniquely yours."

Rocky, Taarin, Cat, John, Bob and Apollo all went to the airport together and arrived in Las Angeles California. They took a taxi to a part of the city full of drunks and bums. Apollo breathed in the air deeply. He was home.

"I can't believe I forgot my laptop. I hope your friends have a CPU I can use to access my files from." Said John.

"Sorry John, no computers here." Apollo said with a grin.

"WHAT?!"

Bob looked at the people walking by. "I don't even have a gun."

"This is where I started and this is where Rocky will start. Let's check in real quick and then head over to the gym." Said Apollo as they entered the hotel. The floor-board creaked with every step. The old man at the front desk was sleeping. A strange green blob was moving around on the desk. Apollo tapped on the bell and said "Excuse me."

"What?"

"We'd like to check in."

"Really?"

"Yes, we'd like some rooms."

"Somebody's checkin' in!"yelled the old man. Suddenly every guest in the hotel got out of their rooms and and repeated what he said. Then they began to play their musical insturments and sing.

_Oh, there's no fire in the fireplace__  
__There's no carpet on the floor__  
__Don't try to order dinner__  
__There's no kitchen anymore__  
__But if the road's been kinda bumpy__  
__And you need to rest a spell__  
__Well, welcome home to Happiness Hotel__  
__If you've got luggage keep it handy__  
__But you're running out of luck__  
__'Cause the bellhops ain't to organized__  
__And the elevator's stuck__  
__Still if you don't mind friendly animals__  
__And can learn to stand the smell__  
__Well, welcome home to Happiness Hotel__  
__Welcome home__  
__Oh, welcome home__  
__No matter where you wander__  
__You will never do as well__  
__Okay the lobby's looking shabby__  
__And it's got the wrong address__  
__And the whole dern thing has been condemned by 'Merican Express__  
__Still the management is cheerful though the whole joint's gone to hell__  
__Well welcome home to Happiness Hotel__  
__Oh there are bugs__  
__There are bugs__  
__And there are lice__  
__There are lice__  
__Sure we have our little problems__  
__But you'll never beat the price__  
__We've got every kind of critter__  
__We've got ev'ry kind of pest__  
__But we treat 'em all as equals__  
__Jes' like any other guest__  
__Though you're cleaner than the others__  
__Still as far as we can tell__  
__You'll fit right in to Happiness Hotel __  
__You'll fit right in to Happiness Hotel _

After putting away their luggage Rocky and Apollo took their training bags from their rooms. They all walked down the streets of L.A. until they arrived at a crummy looking building.

"Come on! Rats wouldn't be caught dead here!" yelled Bob.

"Shut up punk!" yelled Apollo.

"You have to excuse Bob. It takes about a year to get to know her." Said Rocky.

"I don't have a year!"

The group entered the building and walked up the stairs and saw a bunch of African Americans training their hearts outs. The room was quite smelly. But when they entered the room everyone stopped. They all stared at Rocky with the Eye of the Tiger.

"This is where I started."

"That's your problem." replied Bob. Apollo did not hear that comment as he walked towards the group of fighters and received a warm welcome.

"Rocky, I don't like these people. They smell like squirrelee."

"Oh yeah? Maybe they don't like you." replied Rocky.

" Me? What'd I do to them?"

Thus did the training begin. They began with a simple movement test. Rocky and Apollo did their stances together. However, Rocky was much slower. His feet seemed to be stuck to the ground.

"Come on, Rock. Relax." Cried Apollo's trainer, Tony Duke.

"He can't move to this music you got here." Said Bob as she held the boombox.

"Come on Rocky. Get those feet out of them ground. Alright, better. Now balance better." Said Apollo.

"Like this? How am I doing?" asked Rocky.

"You're doing fine." Replied Apollo. He turned to Bob. "Can he swim?"

"With a name like Rock?"

Rocky gasped for air. He was not the best swimmer in the world. "Five more laps!" yelled Apollo.

"He isn't a tuna. He belongs back in the gym." Cat told Apollo with her arms crossed.

"He has to stretch and use muscles he never used before."

Clubber unleashed another blow to Rocky. The black and white projector displayed the fight very well and Rocky's pain was very clear.

"Dang, that Clubber is strong." Said Tony.

"We'll have to put him away early." Said Apollo.

"With the pace Rocky's going at, it should take about five rounds. That should do it..."

Rocky did some more punching drills, hitting away at the air, but Apollo was yelling at him.

"No, no! You're doing it all wrong!!"

Rocky stopped.

"Why are you stopping?! Get back to work."

"Tommorow."

"THERE IS NO TOMMOROW!!" screamed Apollo. That haunting message stayed with Rocky all night.

The next morning they were on the beach to do some running practices to improve Rocky's speed. As they ran Rocky was thinking about Clubber, and how he had so viciously beat him. Then, in mid-run, he stopped running. Apollo then stopped too.

"What's the matter with you?! Ugh!" Apollo said as he walked off in disgust.

There was an akward silence on the beach. Taarin slowly creeped up to Rocky to talk.

"Rocky, what is wrong? You've never given up on anything as long as I've known you. Why are you giving up now?" asked Taarin

"Because...Because I'm afraid Taarin. I'm afraid of him. Last time I fought him I almost lost you. What might I lose this time? And what if this time it's permanent?"

"Rocky, you won't lose me. You won't lose Bob. You won't lose any of us." Said Taarin. (Go read "A spine tingling tale from Sith" after this if you like dramatic irony) "Rocky, the only way you can win is if you want to. Not for the crowd, the title, the money or anything like that. You have to fight for you. Just you and only you. You have to want to fight him."

Rocky suddenly got that boost he needed. The boombox now played a different tune as Rocky trained. The speed bag seemed to float in the air. Rocky tried to punch it. He missed. He tried another style. Miss. 

"No, no Rock. Just click it. Just click it." Said Apollo as he tabbed the bag with his fist with amazing speed.

Rocky began the dancing part of boxing again. He was slowly moving his feet off the ground. But first he just wanted to match Apollo's movements. He was slower than Apollo but it was still the same moves.

One arm. Then one finger. Rocky struggled with his pushups, but kept on enduring past the pain. He jumped the rope fast. He swam skillfully. So skillfully that John said "Hey, Rocky the fish." As he said that, Rocky grabbed John and threw him into the pool. He also raced Apollo on the beach everyday. And then, when Rocky finally beat Apollo Creed in that race, they jumped into the water and were full of joy. They gave each other and hug and knew that Rocky was ready.

They went to New York the day before the fight. The fight was going to be held in Madison Square Garden. And then the big night arrived. Rocky stood nervous in his locker room. But Apollo came in suddenly with a white clothing box.

"Rocky, I want you to remember all you've been through and all he's done to you. I'd also like to give you this." Said Apollo as he opened the box. His red, white and blue shorts he wore against Rocky in their first fight.

"I can-"

"Wear them."

"Thank you Apollo. For everything."

"Just remember to wash them when you're done. And remember that after all of this is over you are going to owe me a favor."

"What favor?"

Clubber's room had a slightly different sound.

"What is your prediction for the fight?" asked one reporter.

"Prediction? Pain..."

"Do you hate Pinnicle?"

"No I don't, I just pity da foo'. I will destroy anybody who tries to take what I got."

"What is your strategy?"

"Don't need any. Pinnicle is so predictable and stupid."

Clubber heard his name called and knew Pinnicle was in the ring waiting. Clubber pushed through to get into the main room and walk into the ring. A spectator attacked him but he knocked him out with punch. Clubber entered the ring and had one of his crew members take off his robe and belt. He was wearing blue shorts with white trim.

"Hey foo'! Ready for another beating! You should've never came back!"

Rocky's name was chanted by the fans. Clubber did have a few fans but most of them belonged to the former champion. They both went to the center of the ring and listened to the ref give the rules.

"Alright, you guys know the rules so I'll just repeat a few. Watch your low blows and rabbit punches. In the case of a knock down go to your corner until I tell you to come back out."

Clubber and Rocky stared at each other intently. The rivals faces were very close, almost touching. The intensity could be felt all around the world.

"I'm gonna bust you up." Clubber told Rocky.

"Go for it." Replied his fierce rival.

Go for it!  
Go for it!  
Go for it!  
Go for it!

Rocky and Clubber both walked to their corners and awaited the bell. Rocky got down on his knees and began praying while Clubber threw a few quick punches in the air. Rocky then heard the bell ring, hit the corner and got up. He then charged toward his opponent.

To be or not to be yo, that's the question.  
Are you gonna stop or keep on roughin?  
Stronger, faster, quicker than the next man.  
To be the best is the master plan.

Go out with all you got.  
Give it your best shot.  
Don't ever think about trying to stop.  
Keep reaching, pushing, pumping for perfection.  
Make up your direction.

Rocky moved right out his corner and began unleashing rights to the head of Clubber Lang, with a left thrown in every three strikes. He then moved back a bit and went against the side ropes as Clubber approached. Rocky then lunged a left forward and hit Lang hard in the jaw. He then began to do a combo of speedy lefts and every five blows a right would enter.

Don't ever stop for a moment.  
Prove you want it.  
If you got it , good , then get up on it.  
You better do it cuz you're blowin' my mind.

Go For It!  
Heart and Fire!  
Go, Go, Go!  
I see it in your eyes!  
Go For It!  
Heart and Fire!  
Go, Go!  
You've got to go for the feeling!

Rocky unleashed a blow onto Clubber that pushed him into the center of the ring. Rocky then began to circle Clubber and throw in a left randomly as he moved around him. Clubber swung a right at Rocky, who ducked it quickly. Pinnicle then countered with a one-two combo to Clubber's head.

It's time for the rhyme of the bold and the gifted  
Listen close and you'll get lifted  
Higher than you ever been before  
Get more than you bargained for, for sure.

Life can be a trip, full of trouble  
But you gotta stand up and fight back double!  
Don't let nothin' hold ya back  
Yo', When life says "Stop" you say "Go, Go!"

"This is the style of Apollo Creed! Just amazing! Clubber doesn't know what to do! He's being stunned by this style! Clubber throws a right to the chest, and hits Pinnicle lightly. The Mountain is countering with more left blows! Another one-two combo to the head!"

Preaching, growing, teaching, knowing  
Instead of preaching let each and every one of ya'll flowing!  
Get yourself together, keep moving  
Don't let nothin' stop your flowing

Go for what you want  
Don't hold back  
Cuz I know ya got the knack  
To Go farther then you've ever been before  
Yo Full of my mind, then go for yours

Clubber backed Rocky into a corner. Rocky noticed such and began punching Clubber back. But suddenly, the worst happened. Clubber began dodging. "Come on sucka! Bring it to me!" yelled Clubber as he began ducking away from Rocky's blows. Clubber then began throwing some lefts at Rocky. Rocky dodged and began attacking again. Clubber threw a right and hit Rocky in the head. He threw another punch which Rocky ducked and then punched Clubber from behind. Clubber moved backward and then faced Rocky as he dealt more blows to him.

Go For It!  
Heart and Fire!  
Go, Go, Go!  
I see it in your eyes!  
Go For It!  
Heart and Fire!  
Go, Go!  
You've got to go for the feeling!

Go For It!  
Heart and Fire!  
Go, Go, Go!  
I see it in your eyes!  
Go For It!  
Heart and Fire!  
Go, Go!  
You've got to go for the feeling!

Clubber swung at Rocky again. Rocky dodged and went back with another combination. He then began to beat on Clubber Lang who stopped moving. After a few blows he dodged and began attacking Rocky once again and missing. Rocky backed Clubber into a corner and began punching him in the face again when the bell rang.

Clubber was pulled back to his corner with a struggle. He wanted to keep on fighting. Yet Rocky calmly walked back to his corner.

"I'll kill you, man!" yelled Clubber.

"Alright Rock, just don't get crazy and we're home. Don't let this bum make you fight his fight." Apollo said to Rocky.

DING! Clubber flew out of his corner towards Rocky. When he got too close, Rocky began attacking Clubber once again. Clubber threw a few blows and missed while Rocky began unleashing his skillful punches onto Clubber. He gave Clubber many blows to the head, and was careful to keep his distance from his adversary. Clubber then unleashed a fearsome blow full of ki to Pinnicle and knocked him into a corner. Clubber then began pounding mercilessly on Rocky. Rocky tried to get out but was thrown back in the corner by Clubber. Clubber's strength was unbelievable. Each blow felt like every bone in Rocky's body suddenly snapped in half. Clubber grabbed Rocky but the ref broke them up. Clubber stood in the middle of the ring and beckoned Rocky to come. He came and began blocking Clubber's blows. Clubber threw a hard blow at Rocky. He fell to the ground but got up before seven seconds passed. Then he was knocked down again. He got up before eight seconds passed. Clubber then began attacking Rocky yet again. The bell then rang, but Clubber kept punching.

"Ain't so bad! You ain't so bad! You ain't nothing!" yelled Rocky as he pushed Clubber face with his glove. The two teams broke up the fighting and brought both of them back to their corner but not without dialogue between the fighters.

"You must be crazy or somethin' foo!" yelled Lang.

"I'm crazy? I ain't breathing heavy!" yelled Pinnicle.

They both walked to their corners and received words from their team.

"What the hell are you doing?! It doesn't take a man to stand out there and get killed." Yelled Apollo.

"I know what I'm doing. He's getting tired." Panted Rocky.

"Rocky, just go out and win! Eye of the Tiger! Eye of the Tiger!" yelled Apollo.

"Kick some butt!" yelled Cat.

"Don't try to take him out in one punch!" yelled one of Clubber's crew. DING! The third round began. Rocky and Clubber moved toward each other.

"It's my round. It's my round." Clubber said softly. Clubber threw a punch. Rocky moved his arms to block it and push Clubber's arms back and then counter with a one-two combo. He then began punching Clubber in the face. Clubber counted with a left but Rocky ducked back to avoid the blow. He walked backwards as Clubber unleashed an onslaught upon his rival.

Clubber got Rocky into a corner and began beating on his face. His powerful blows quickly sunk deep into Rocky's flesh, and yet the warrior did not yelp with pain. Clubber punched Rocky in the kidney. Rocky moved out of the corner to the side and got another kidney blow. Rocky moved towards the center and felt Clubber's punches reach his back. Clubber then began to attack Rocky's arms which were blocking his head. He simply attacked with no thought, like a child. A gigantic child.

Lang gave Rocky another blow to the side. Rocky rubbed the top of Clubber's head and said "Again! Again!" Clubber gave more blows to Rocky, but Rocky did the exact same thing.

"He's getting killed out there!" yelled Apollo.

"No he's not getting killed, he's getting him mad!" cried Bob as she pointed to the fighters.

Risin up,back on the street  
Did my time, took my chances  
Went the distance, now Iâ�™m back on my feet  
Just a man and his will to survive

"Come on! Whole world's watching, knock me out! Come on, knock me out!" yelled Rocky. Clubber hit Rocky hard in the back. Rocky smugly said "Hit me harder! Come on!" Clubber responded by giving him another blow to the side of Rocky's gut. Apollo's trainer cried out to Rocky screaming "Noooo!"

Clubber unleashed a hard left to Rocky's defensive arms. His white mouthpiece was a combo of disgusting red and yellow. His mouth opened wide before the next hit, which was a right to Rocky's guarding arms. He managed to get Rocky in the back of the head. Rocky was now moving away from Clubber, even as another punch was hit on the back of his head.

So many times, it happens too fast  
You trade your passion for glory  
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past  
You must fight just to keep them alive

"Come on champ! Ain't so bad! Ain't so bad! Ain't nothin!" yelled Rocky as he tried to move his injured mouth, which was difficult with blood dripping into his mouth. Rocky was backed into a corner. Clubber's blows kept missing. Rocky had planned this and began attacking Clubber and moving out of the corner. Then with one huge blow, Rocky punched Clubber Lang in the head, and the behemoth fell to the ground.

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

Clubber Lang got on his hands and knees and began shaking his head to regain some focus. He did around the first second he was on the ground. He looked up into Rocky's eyes and saw something that wasn't there before.

"Stay down..." cried Taarin.

Those eyes...they once were his. Rocky had Clubber's eyes. Clubber never had blue eyes, but the look...Clubber had looked for it in the mirror everyday and could not find it. He now knew what that look was. He lost the Eye of the Tiger. He knew he had no chance of winning the fight. In shock, he stayed there for the full ten seconds. Rocky Pinnicle regained his title. He jumped up in the air with joy and the ring was flooded with his friends.

And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger...

"Come on, we made a deal!" said Apollo as they entered the dark gym and walked towards the ring. Apollo was wearing red shorts while Rocky was wearing yellow.

"I know, but this is extremely crazy."

"I know, it's mentally irregular. But it makes all the sense in the world. You owe me a favor."

"I know, but when did you think of this?"

"About three years ago. Last time you beat by one second, one second. That's hard for someone of my intelligence to handle."

"I thought you said that after I beat you, you learned to live with it."

"I lied." Said Apollo jocundly as they entered the ring.

"So this is just to proove it to yourself, huh?"

"That's right. No T.V.s, no camera crews, no crowd. Just you, me and the ring."

"You sure you want to do this? You taught me everything you know."

"Almost everything. You fight great but I am a great fighter." Said Apollo as he put his mouthpiece in.

"You wanna ring the bell?" Rocky asked.

"Sure. Ding, Ding." Said Apollo as he moved his left arm in the air jokingly.

"Wow, looking smooth."

"I taught you well, Mountain."

"I might aim for the wrong guy."

And then the two threw a punch at the other's head at the exact same moment. That fight, which not even I know the outcome of, was one of Pinnicle's greatest bouts...

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger...


End file.
